1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermoplastic elastomer composition and a molded member made of the thermoplastic elastomer composition. More particularly, the present invention relates to, for example, a thermoplastic elastomer composition applicable to a surface material of a vehicle.
2. Background Art
As the trim of a vehicle such as a car, a material obtained by laminating, with polyurethane foam sandwiched therebetween, a surface material of a vinyl chloride-based resin on a substrate of an ABS resin, a modified polyphenylene ether resin, polypropylene (hereinafter referred to as PP), or the like has been used.
There is a demand for improving the recycle ratio of materials used in vehicles in order to protect the environment. Hence, vehicle trims are required to be fabricated from materials having high recycle ratios. The vinyl chloride-based resin has been widely employed as the surface material of vehicle trims. However, the vinyl chloride-based resin is difficult to recycle, particularly in a burn process. Therefore, fabricating a trim surface material by using a material other than the vinyl chloride-based resin is required.
Accordingly, as the surface material to be substituted for the vinyl chloride-based resin, an olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPO) including PP and olefin-based rubber has been proposed.
Also, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 9-176389 discloses a thermoplastic elastomer in which poly(1-butene) is substituted for part of the PP for scratch resistance.
However, the TPO is clammy when its surface is touched with a hand, and is difficult to practically use because of its poor tactile quality (namely, because it is unpleasant to touch). In order to solve this problem, examination is being made to coat a TPO surface material, but the coating disadvantageously increases the fabrication cost.